Time to clean moonshine with activated carbon. Purification of moonshine with activated carbon

A fairly common method of removing harmful substances from raw alcohol is charcoalization. After primary distillation, the mash produces a product with a characteristic odor and a high content of foreign impurities that are far from beneficial to health. After cleaning, their concentration is minimized, and the taste and aroma of the product are improved. For these purposes, activated carbon is used, which has a high adsorbing coefficient. Moonshine specialists know how to clean moonshine with charcoal. Here you need to have an idea of which coal can be used to cleanse fusel oils, and which is unsuitable for this.

Which coal to choose for cleaning moonshine

Most often, birch coals are used to clean moonshine with coal at home: for general purpose and for distillery production, marked BAU-A and BAU-A-LVZ, respectively. You can use OU-A and DAK charcoal, as well as KAUSORB brand coconut charcoal. All this can be purchased in departments and stores specializing in the sale of distillery equipment or via the Internet.

Many moonshiners combine coconut charcoal with birch charcoal, keeping the following proportion: for one liter of distillate - 6 tablespoons of wood adsorbent and 2 tablespoons of KAUSORB or KAU-A.

Which coal should not be used to remove fusel impurities?

Pharmacy activated carbon

A very controversial question: what is the pharmaceutical charcoal preparation made of? There is an opinion that it is a wood product, and there is a belief that it is produced from a bone substrate. Regardless of the nature of the origin of pharmaceutical coal, it is not advisable to use it to purify moonshine. It contains binding starch additives, which do not have the best effect on the taste and transparency of moonshine: starch reduces the adsorbing properties of coal.

Carbon from gas masks, aquarium and household filters

Some distillers pass moonshine through a household filter to purify the water. The distillate should be filtered in this way at least 5 times. However, home brewers do not use this method, since household filters contain ionizing substances. It is also not recommended to use aquarium filters.

It is extremely unacceptable to take carbon filters from gas masks, especially if it is unknown whether the gas mask has been used. But even in new gas masks, the filter media contains substances that can give an undesirable reaction with alcohol-containing liquids.

Cleaning moonshine with charcoal for barbecue

To obtain a high-quality distillate, moonshiners often use purification of moonshine with barbecue charcoal. It is quite suitable for these purposes. Just keep in mind that the charcoal product intended for barbecues is used after burning out. Moreover, it must burn out without air access. This process is called pyrolysis. As a result of pyrolysis, the structure becomes more porous, which increases the absorption capacity of the adsorbent.

To carry out this process, smoldering coals from the barbecue are transferred to a metal container and hermetically sealed. Completely burnt material is already suitable for charcoaling. Moonshine purified with such an adsorbent absorbs the smell of a fire. For those who do not like this taste, it is recommended to re-distill: after the second distillation, the smoky taste will disappear.

Distillate purification and filtration process

Coal preparation

Before starting cleaning the pervach with charcoal at home, the adsorbent is first washed and dried, then crushed. You can crush it in some kind of bowl or put it in a bag and crush it with a hammer. The finer the coal mass, the more the adsorbing surface will interact with the liquid, therefore, the cleaning will be better. It should be borne in mind that both options are a dusty ceremony. Therefore, it is better to carry out coal grinding operations outdoors.

Purification and filtration of moonshine

It is usually practiced in one of two common ways:

Filtration of moonshine with coal
Infusion of distillate on coal.

But here, too, there are variations.

Using a homemade charcoal filter

1 option

Cotton or gauze folded in several layers is placed in an ordinary funnel (you can also wrap a little cotton with gauze), pour a small amount of the prepared adsorbent. The filter is ready, and moonshine is poured through it. This procedure is repeated five times, each time replacing the filter.

Option 2

To make a filter you will need a beer or mineral water bottle, cotton wool, and charcoal. You need to cut off the bottom of the eggplant and make several holes in the cork, similar to those that many made in sprinklers in childhood, only a little larger. A tightly folded cotton swab is inserted into the neck of such a homemade watering can, then a plug with holes is screwed in. After which this unit is filled with wood adsorbent at the rate of 60-80 grams of coal per liter of distillate (1 tablespoon holds approximately 10 g of coal).

Next, the eggplant with a carbon filter is filled with moonshine and wait for it to be filtered. This option is convenient because it does not require constant presence during the filtration process. But from time to time you need to check whether the filter is clogged. If the liquid stops flowing out of the plastic container, then shake the bottle or unscrew the bottle cap a little.

This cleansing can be repeated, replacing the used coal with clean one, but some people believe that after the first run the desired result is achieved. Here everyone will be told by personal experience. You can pass part of the moonshine through the filter once, and the other part twice or three times, then take samples and compare.

Infusing moonshine on coal

Disagreements among those who use this method of cleansing with charcoal at home mainly concern the infusion time. Some recommend carrying out adsorption over several two-hour periods, filtering and replacing the adsorbent. They motivate this method by the fact that after two hours the reverse process can begin, and the coal will not absorb impurities, but will release them back into the liquid.

Others believe that you need to insist for 4 to 7 days. Still others suggest that the optimal duration of cleaning by immersing the adsorbent in moonshine is two weeks. Here, too, we can recommend experimentally determining how long it will take for high-quality absorption of the distillate. If someone chooses the option of multi-day adsorption, then the jars of purified alcohol must be shaken daily.

There are no special differences regarding the proportions: from 50 to 80 grams of coal are required per liter of liquid. The quality of moonshine will not deteriorate if the adsorbent material is taken a little more than it should be according to the norm. After infusion, the alcohol-containing liquid should be removed from the sediment and passed through a cotton or sand filter. The sand must be thoroughly washed and calcined, it is wrapped in cloth or multi-layered gauze and placed in a funnel. You can use filter paper to remove adsorbent from moonshine. If a suspension of coal dust particles is observed in the filtered moonshine, you can repeat the filtration or let it settle, then remove it from the sediment.

And one more warning

You cannot always be sure of the good quality of coal. If the material for charcoal is in doubt, then it is a good idea to test its adsorbing properties on a small amount of moonshine, so as not to spoil the entire volume of alcohol produced at home.

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In order to obtain a high-quality alcoholic drink, moonshine must be purified from impurities and fusel oils. Purifying moonshine with activated carbon is one of the most effective methods.

1

The ability of this substance to extract and retain molecules of foreign impurities and gases is due to the high adsorption coefficient of coal. It varies depending on the raw material from which the coal is produced.

Activated carbon is produced industrially:

from rock coke;
from animal bone tissue;
made of wood (usually birch).

Activated carbon, which can be purchased at a pharmacy as a pharmaceutical preparation, is very suitable for filtering moonshine. The raw materials for the drug are animal bones. The surface of such coal is perforated with micropores that have low throughput. Fusel oils consist of large molecules that are not absorbed by micropores, and pharmaceutical activated carbon is characterized by a low level of adsorption.

Activated carbon from animal bones

Its use is also opposed by the fact that each tablet of pharmaceutical charcoal contains excipients: talc and starch. When these substances get into the finished drink, they can spoil its organoleptic properties. It is best to purchase special coal for winemakers for this purpose (for example, BAU-A - from birch wood, BAU-LV - from coconut).

If for some reason it is not possible to purchase it, you can remove the filler from a filter for purifying drinking water, an aquarium, from a gas mask or a gas analyzer tube. The adsorbent obtained through the pyrolysis of wood raw materials has a surface with macro- and mesopores. Accordingly, its ability to purify liquid is significantly higher.

It is not recommended to use filters and gas masks that have been used. In this case, coal particles may contain foreign impurities that are harmful to the body. Filters that use coal from coke as an adsorbent are distinguished by high cleaning efficiency.

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In industrial conditions, activated carbon is produced by annealing birch firewood in a special furnace with air access reduced to a minimum. Activated carbon for removing harmful substances can be prepared at home from wood raw materials. It is recommended to carry out this procedure outdoors, preferably while staying outside the city, at the dacha.

To prepare the raw materials, you need to peel the birch log from the bark and chop it finely. Fire the chips with minimal access to oxygen. To implement this task, you need to make 15-20 holes in the bottom of a flat tin can (for example, from canned food). Place the prepared raw materials in a jar, close it tightly and put on fire. During the heating process, wood will lose organic gases.

Coals from birch logs

After all the gases have burned, the jar is removed from the heat. The adsorbent obtained in it is not yet activated. To complete the process, it is necessary to expand the pores in it as follows. Place the coals, wrapped in cheesecloth, in a large saucepan half filled with water. The water needs to be brought to a boil. Steam from water helps clean the pores of the coal and increase its activity. Then the coals are again placed in a tin can and dried over the fire. When the steam stops coming out of the holes in the jar, the adsorbent is ready. It must be taken out of the jar and cooled.

It is recommended to store homemade coal in a tightly closed container, since due to its high absorption, activated carbon easily absorbs moisture and foreign odors from the environment. You can also prepare homemade activated charcoal in the apartment. You will need a large saucepan. A hole is perforated in the lid for a piece of pipe with a recommended diameter of 8-10 cm. A suitable rubber hose is put on the pipe, the second end of which is lowered into a container of water. This is where filtered smoke comes in.

Wood raw materials (chopped willow, alder, birch twigs) are laid out in a saucepan. The lid is tightly connected to the pan: to increase the tightness, you can coat the edges with raw clay. The pan is put on the fire, and the chips are calcined. Cool the resulting coals and place them in water for 3 weeks, which received smoke during calcination. At this time, the jar should be vigorously shaken three times a day. After this time, the jar is left unmoved for another 1 week, after which the finished activated carbon is removed and dried. Store in a tightly closed container.

Moonshine must be cleaned. There are different ways to do this, the simplest of them is cleaning moonshine with charcoal, both wood and stone. In feature films you can often see characters drinking cloudy moonshine. This alcoholic drink is obtained when the mash is distilled in an ordinary bucket, placing a saucer with snow or cold water on top. Its strength is low, it contains a lot of fusel oils. In a good distillation apparatus, moonshine turns out to be the purest and strongest.

About the preparation of the adsorbent

How to clean moonshine? To prepare activated charcoal, birch firewood is taken and burned on a fire or in a stove. When they burn and hot coals remain, they are poured into a clay pot (you can also put them in a tightly closed iron container, as is done for a samovar). The main condition for this process is that there is no access to fresh air. The coals will go out after a while. Then they need to be taken out of the pot and crushed, but not finely, then washed with water and dried.

About cleaning methods

mineral adsorbent

Subtleties of filtration

When filtering moonshine using the second method, you need to have a high room. If you use the basement of a private house, you can drill a hole in the floor and pass a hose through it with a diameter two or three times smaller than that of the tube. Moonshine will flow through it into the pipe. Here you definitely need a faucet on the lower part; it will be difficult for one person to control the filtration process. The alcohol-containing liquid from the container at the top will flow by gravity; to prevent it from overflowing over the top of the copper tube, you can put any type of clamp on it on a polyethylene hose, using it from time to time.

Features of use

Why is activated carbon able to remove fusel oils from moonshine? This happens through adsorption. It absorbs harmful substances. (The shells of walnuts and coconuts also have the same property). After one filtration, the carbon is thrown away and is no longer suitable for further use.

Where to buy a filter

Today, activated carbon is also used in filters for drinking water purification. You can buy such a device (or its cartridge) for cleaning moonshine at a hardware store. The cost of a filter for fine water purification today ranges from 330 rubles and more. Cartridges with both charcoal and coal are available for sale. They are designed for water filters installed in main pipelines.

About the use of tablets

Purifying moonshine with activated carbon tablets (sold in pharmacies in black or white) is also suitable, but only as a last resort, because such a substance is made from animal bones. Where else is activated carbon used? It is found in cans of gas masks and aquarium filters. It purifies air in ventilation systems, oil and its derivatives, and even sewage water.

About health

Purify moonshine with activated carbon - protect yourself from poisoning when drinking this alcoholic drink. This substance is also useful for hangovers, relieving pain and removing toxins. The tablets are simply swallowed. And purifying moonshine with charcoal at home will simply make the hangover much easier if you take the drink in excess of the norm.

In order to properly charcoal moonshine, you must strictly observe the proportions of adding the substance and try not to violate the regime of keeping the liquid together with the absorbent. Then you can achieve the desired result.

Effective cleaning of moonshine with coal at home

In our country, moonshine has long been purified from fusel components and other impurities using coal. The most accessible types of absorbent were usually used for filtration. Their absorbent abilities are better at eliminating the problem than other methods, since they maximally collect heavy unsaturated organic compounds in the pores.

Purification of moonshine from fusel oils is allowed by different types of adsorbent:

special black granules for winemakers are in demand;
moonshine is cleaned with charcoal of various types;
moonshine is cleaned with activated charcoal;
coals for cleaning moonshine are often taken from gas mask filters;
purification of moonshine with coconut adsorbent is allowed;
Some experts recommend using substances from water filters to clean moonshine.

Coconut heads can be used as an absorbent - they are champions in absorption speed

Filtration of moonshine with coal involves the accumulation of foreign chemical compounds in the space between the pores of the main absorbent substance. For maximum efficiency, the pore dimensions must be larger than the format of the molecules received in order to retain excess oils and impurities.

In most cases, pharmaceutical black tablets are industrially made from various types of materials, including wood, BAU, coke absorbent, or animal bone meal (the most common method). The micropores in such a product are small enough to accept large molecules of impurities, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to effectively clean moonshine with an activated absorbent.

If you want to take substances from a gas mask, you should know that they are additionally designed to be deactivated using “chemistry.” It is capable of entering into a chemical reaction with ethanol, not always having a positive effect on the final taste.

More experienced specialists suggest using natural remedies, for example, birch charcoal. A natural product, which is almost any charcoal, will cope with the task in the most constructive way, subject to technology.

VIDEO: Bau coal and how to work with it

Independent production of material

Preparing coal yourself for purifying moonshine is a rather painstaking and costly undertaking. For such a process, it is necessary to provide certain oxygen-free combustion conditions for certain types of wood - pyrolysis.

The step-by-step algorithm includes the following actions:

prepare birch firewood and let it burn out in an open flame;
when receiving smoldering firebrands at the finish, move them to a closed metal sealed container;
wait until the combustion process is completed and the prepared mass has cooled down.

There are many cooking videos online that demonstrate this process. If the parameters are followed, the final product will correspond to store-bought products.

Correct standards

To achieve results quickly and with a high degree of efficiency, you need to know how much coal is needed for cleaning. Different sources contain flow-through or pour-over cleaning methods. In the first case, raw alcohol is slowly poured through layers of absorbent. In the second, a certain amount of coal is poured per liter of liquid.

Proportions are selected empirically. This depends on the freshness of the filtrate and its quality. Usually the calculation is based on the fact that about 50 grams are added per liter of moonshine. prepared product. There is no point in reducing this level, but increasing it is possible, since no matter how much coal you add, it will not harm.

The proportions of the absorbent are selected by eye - usually at the rate of 50 grams for each liter of distillate

There is a limit to the performance of the absorbent medium. For each type of absorbent it is personal, so a certain volume is capable of holding a finite number of molecules. The volume of removed contaminants depends on what kind of coal is used, and in what quantity.

Various factors influence filtrate consumption. Primary purification forces you to change the substance with each new portion of liquid.

In order not to spoil the moonshine, you need to try to meet the deadlines of the process. With a minimum operating time of absorbent substances, not all oil molecules can get into the pores. When you overexpose the cleaner in the liquid, then it will begin to break down and return everything back. The optimal period for small granules is an interval of five to seven days.

How to clean moonshine with charcoal

When insisting, use the following algorithm of actions:

the strength of the drink being processed should be between 40-55°;
in a prepared container with a wide mouth of chemically neutral materials, pour the liquid and pour the granules at the rate of 50-60 g per 1 liter;
mix the composition thoroughly, seal it tightly and put it in a dark place;
after 5-7 days we take out the container and filter the suspended particles through cotton wool, repeat the process if necessary.

Another correct cleaning of moonshine by the flow method is carried out in a slightly different way. A special housing with a filter is being prepared for it. It is often made from a 2 liter plastic bottle with a cut off bottom.

The neck part of the container is covered with cotton wool wrapped in gauze. The volume of granules, which depends on the type of absorbent, is poured into the body of an inverted plastic bottle. For the usual one, 50 g is enough, and for the special material of the BAU-A type, it is recommended to do with reduced portions of 12-15 g per 1 dm3 of the liquid being cleaned.

It will be possible to improve the quality of the final product by regularly changing the filter with each new portion.

Reanimation of black granules

There are options for restoring an activated or wood filter on the net. However, it is better not to attempt such attempts, as it is unsafe for health. Malicious elements accumulate inside the pores, which are problematic to remove from there. The correct solution would be to simply throw out the used material and replace it with a fresher one.

There is no need to save on health, since impurities from moonshine remaining in the absorbent are not washed out with water. When reused, they may penetrate back into the liquid.

You should absolutely not listen to advice on treating black granules with aggressive acids followed by high-temperature calcination. The risk of such substances penetrating into the liquid increases.

Application of coconut adsorbents

When wondering how to properly remove harmful oils from homemade alcohol, you can turn to porous coconut absorbent. It absorbs such products well. Only the KAU-A brand is suitable for the procedure. Distillers should not experiment with coconut hookah tablets. They can ruin the entire taste of the drink.

Fusel oils are removed with coals in the following proportion: a couple of tablespoons of black granules are poured into 1 liter of liquid, which is approximately 10 grams. This is a more economical expense compared to other means.

After pouring the particles into the bottle, remove the container to the closet for 3-4 days. Stir the dissolved substances two to three times a day. After settling, filter through gauze and cotton wool.

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Nowadays, unfortunately, there is a lot of alcohol on store shelves of questionable quality. If you pay attention to exclusive alcohol, it costs a lot of money. But there is an alternative to low-quality alcohol from the store, this is the use of moonshine, which has been produced in Russia since time immemorial. This is a natural product made from berries or fruits, starch and sugar. During the process of making moonshine, natural fermentation occurs, after which the alcohol for moonshine is evaporated.

People who produce moonshine at home know that making mash and then distilling it is not a tricky matter, but obtaining high-quality moonshine in a process that is cleaned and free of impurities and odor is not so simple.

The most correct and at the same time effective way is the second distillation, cleaning at home, but this is not a panacea, there are other methods and this is not the only cleaning. Experienced people who have been brewing moonshine for a long time know that you can clean it with barbecue charcoal, only it needs to be activated.

What kind of charcoal is useful for cleaning?

We decided that we would buy coal, but what kind should we use? Activated carbon, such as that sold in pharmacies, is inappropriate to use, since it is often not made from wood, and is not capable of absorbing fusel oils found in moonshine during the first distillation.

The best cleaning option is charcoal. We will need natural charcoal for barbecue, which is obtained by pyrolysis. Of course, you can prepare such charcoal yourself, but the process is so complicated that it is better to avoid it.

Birch charcoal, which is used to light hookahs and barbecues, is best suited. Mix charcoal and coconut charcoal well. Some people who brew moonshine take the coal directly from the grill after preparing the barbecue, and after such cleaning the drink takes on a slight campfire smell.

Method of purifying moonshine with coal

There are a number of methods for purification at home, there is a simple one - pass the product through a hydrofilter for water, or make such a filter yourself. You need to take a funnel, preferably make it yourself, from a plastic bottle. To do this, cut off the bottom of the bottle and turn it over.

We put cotton wool or gauze folded in several layers into the bottle, then add coal, which we first crush. We pass the product through the resulting filter.

This method is suitable for quick cleaning, or when using charcoal after a barbecue. It is worth noting that such cleaning must be carried out at least five times. Each new cleaning must be carried out with a new filter.

But if you have some time, then you can use another method, the most effective. You need to finely crush the coal and fill it with moonshine. Proportions 50 grams per liter of drink. Close the container tightly with a lid and leave for three days in a dark place. After this, you need to carefully drain the drink from the sediment.

The sediment can be removed using a dropper. You only need to drain from the top, so that the charcoal in the jar remains covered with liquid. If small particles of coal remain in the moonshine, then it will need to be filtered through gauze or filter paper.

It is not recommended to infuse moonshine with charcoal for a long time, as harmful resins can return to the product.
It is not advisable to use a filter that is in a water jug. Although there is a carbon filter that can soften the drink, people who have been brewing moonshine for a long time do not recommend using it.
As for pharmaceutical activated carbon, after such cleaning with carbon, moonshine may taste bitter, since starch is used in the production of tablets, which reacts with the drink.
There is no need to be afraid to overdo it with coal for moonshine; in this situation, more is better than not enough.
Charcoal cleaning is used only once, cannot be used again.
Cannot be used with a gas mask.
If after cleaning the smell remains, then it can only be gotten rid of by a second distillation.
Moonshine made from grain raw materials, such as barley or wheat, has a specific, very pleasant smell, and if you clean it, this smell will disappear. So if you like it, it's better not to clean it.
The drink needs to be cleaned in small portions, since the coal may be of poor quality, and after such cleaning, the moonshine may become of poor quality.
If you can find coconut charcoal (charcoal), then it is better to use it. This type of charcoal is better for cleaning at home.

Here are some tips for cleaning with charcoal.

Moonshine brewing at home is an activity that has been practiced in Russia for a long time, so there are ways to brew this drink and purify it, so finding the most optimal one for yourself will not be difficult.